Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche

In his autobiographical notes, Rinpoche lists the following teachings he received from many masters:

The sacred Vajravarahi practices of the Northern Treasures, he received from Lhagpa Rinpoche. From Chatral Jangchub Dorje, he received the entire transmissions of  the Longchen Nyin-t’hig lineage. He received the lineage of Chod from Drubchen Dawa Dorje and Shakya Shri. 

He received the entire cycle of the Konchog Chi-du and Kham-sum Rang-drol of the Northern Treasures (discovered by Rigdzin Jatson Nyingpo) from Khyungpo Gyaton Tulku, Lopon Dorje Rigdzin, A’pho Tsewang Rinpoche (the son of Shakya Shri), and Lopn Rigdzin Rinpoche.

In 1963, while living in TsoPema, India, he received the entire cycle of the Nyingma Gyud-Bum from HH Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdrel Yeshe Dorje.

From HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and DroDrupchen Rinpoche he took all the empowerments and transmission of the Rinchen Terzod. From HH Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and Dzongzar Khyentse Rinpoche he received the entire cycle of the Dudjom New Treasures. 

The Lhatson Drubt’hob he received from Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche. The transmissions and instructions of T’hangtong Gyalpo he received from HH Sakya Trizin.

From Trulshik Ngawang Do-Ngak Chokyi Lodro Rinpoche he received the Minling cycle.

From his autobiographical notes, Rinpoche writes:

“In this way, without discriminating, I received the maturing empowerments, the liberating instructions and the reinforcing transmissions at the feet of the great masters together. I was filled to overflowing with their inconceivable kindness and put their methods into practice as follows: the common outer and inner preliminaries; the development stage of Mahayoga; the activities of approach and accomplishment (kye-rim and dzog-rim) of the Three Roots (Lama, Yidam and Kahndro); the five supplementary yoga cycles of the Anuyoga Dzog-rim, which functions through the tsa-lung and thigle; the Khorde Rushen Dzogchen Atiyoga cycle of practice; the primordial Trekchod; the spontaneously formed Togal and Odsal practices from the Three Series of Dzogchen.”

Rinpoche left Tibet during the cultural revolution and settled in Tso Pema, the holy pilgrimage site of Guru Rinpoche in Northern India. For many years, he lived in a cave near the main cave where Guru Rinpoche and Mandarava practiced. Lama Dawa Rinpoche recollects the first time he met Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche in 1963, during the time that HH Dudjom Rinpoche was bestowing the Nyingma Gyud-Bum:

“At that time Rinpoche was quite young. He was called ‘Ngakchung Rinpoche’ which means ‘little ngakpa.’ Although he was young, he was highly respected for his meditation accomplishments and many great Lamas paid homage to him. I met him for the first time when my family moved to Tso Pema. My father heard about him and wanted to go up to his cave to make offerings to him. I begged to go along. I was just a boy then. We walked up to the top of the hill where he was sitting in retreat in a small cave. At that time he was alone (he was not yet married to Jomo Sap’hel). He and my father talked for some time and I noticed that the clay oven inside his cave had grass growing in it. I looked around and there was no food at all anywhere and on the stove was a layer of dust where you could see the footprints of mice. Inside the stove grass was growing. I was confused and wondered where he got his food and how he ate. There was no sign of any food and no sign of any cooking. The only things in his cave were burlap bags full of different rocks.

 After we left I asked my father about this, and my father told me that Rinpoche was practicing the chulen (living off the essences) and he was using the rocks for his food. He lived like that for a long time.”

In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche became one of the subjects in a series of scientific studies on the effects of tummo and body temperature changes. During this time, HH the Dalai Lama developed the wish to meet an authentic Ngapa among the Nyingmapas living in exile, and requested Tsering Gyaltsen (who was acting as MP at the time) to show him a perfect Ngakpa among the Nyingmapas. He instructed Lama Gyaltsen to bring him this ngakpa and he would pay the expenses. Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche was a strict adherent to the Ngakpa tradition (the go-kar chang lo’e de) and one of the few Tibetan ngakpas that staunchly upheld this ancient lineage in its original form, which traces back to the time of Guru Rinpoche. Tsering Gyaltsen thought Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche was the perfect representation and so he went to Tso Pema, where Rinpoche was living in a cave at the time, and brought him to Dharmasala. The Dalai Lama asked KDR about his experiences and what kind of special experiences he had. Rinpoche replied, “I don’t know, but when I walk around the lake, I feel that Guru Ripoche is everywhere and in everything. Then I find myself in a dilemma as I think ‘how can I take another step as I would be stepping on the body of Guru Rinpoche?’”

Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche was instrumental in preserving the sacred practices of the Rigdzin Sogdrub, the specialized yogic practices within the Northern treasures (Jang-ter) lineage, which were discovered in Sikkim by Rigdzin Godempa in the 16^th century. In order to strengthen the lineage of the Rigdzin Sogdrub in Sikkim, HH Dudjom Rinpoche requested Chatral Sangye Dorje and Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche to lead a three-year retreat in Gangtok, Sikkim.

The Rigdzin Sogdrub originally consisted of seven volumes of texts. Over the centuries many of these texts were scattered and disappeared. Rinpoche spent the last fifty-five years of his life searching and collecting these missing volumes – from the remote monastery libraries in Sikkim to the private collections of individual yogis  – he gathered and tabulated the entire canon. With the assistance of Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche, Lama Dawa Chhodak Rinpoche and Lama Tsering, corrections were made and the entire canon was reprinted under the sponsorship of the Sikkimese prince, Wangchen.

Rinpoche and his consort, Jomo Samp’hel wandered throughout Northern India, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. In the 1990’s they settled for some time in Yanglesho – P’harping, Nepal, at the holy site where Guru Rinpoche accomplished the Vajrakilaya practice and subjugated the evil spirits. From 2002 until his death, they lived in Lama Dawa Chhodak’s residence in Boudha, Nepal, near the great stupa.  In the year 2000, Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche bestowed empowerments and teachings for western students for the first time. 

From his autobiography, Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche states, 

“I have practiced in Tibet, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sikkim – in all places where the Mahasiddhas in India and Tibet lived of visited. I have practiced in the hidden lands blessed by Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal. I have practiced in snowy places, rocky caves, charnel grounds, and lake-islands. I have resided wherever Padmasambhava and Yeshe Tsogyal stayed. In these places I have completed year-long, month-long, and week-long retreats.”

Padmasambhava mentioned Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche – who is also known as Lama Karma Gyalpo – in his prophesies. Guru Rinpoche declaired that, “at the time when the sacred inner teachings of tummo and tsa-lung would decline, ‘Leykyi Gyalpo’ would strengthen and clarify these practices for the benefit of those fortunate practitioners.” According to these prophesies, HH Dudjom Rinpoche requested Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche to write several important commentary teachings on the Tummo and trulkor practices. These commentaries have since been incorporated into the canon of Dudjom Tersar and Rigdzin Sogdrub lineages. 

This brief biography was written by his student, Kunzang Dechen Chodron, taken from numerous oral accounts and written documents.